General Items of Interest by Carl Buhler

In the aircraft business, an aircraft’s owner/operator is responsible for the aircraft’s maintenance. In its simplest form, aircraft maintenance ensures the proper functioning and the safety of aircrew and passengers, but is a very complicated and comprehensive process that involves cleaning aircraft components, applying corrosion prevention, lubricating moving parts, troubleshooting fuel systems, servicing hydraulics and more.

Additionally, aircraft maintenance involves physically checking and inspecting various parts to determine their state of wear and tear and actions to replace parts requiring replacing. Aircraft parts commonly checked during maintenance include the engine, fuel system, fuselage, avionics, electrical controls, and wings.

Depending on the type of aircraft, they have different maintenance schedules with some aircraft requiring maintenance based on periods of time while others require maintenance based on operating or flight hours/cycles.

The author, Brigadier General (retired) Carl Buhler served in the US Air Force for over 28 years specializing in aircraft maintenance, munitions, and logistics. He is currently the CEO of Buhler Consulting, LLC (https://buhlerconsulting.com). In this capacity, Carl Buhler provides consultant services to the aerospace, production, and defense industries with a focus on logistics and aircraft maintenance.